Newly Neighbored
by desina
Summary: Ahh, everyone likes picking up after the Finale and I'm no exception.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n:** No, I haven't given up on No Uncertain Terms! Initially, it had started with a different premise, a one-off bit in Borderline that wasn't in the series, then would be all post-Finale. All of that text was just sitting around in the middle of my manuscript and I kept bumping into it. So I've split it out and will be posting chapters for both pieces. Fear not! (This one will be shorter, though.)

_**Chapter 1 - Moving In**_

After a long day, hell, a long year, Kate moved into her first apartment of her own, ever. She'd gotten a great deal on the mortgage, a great deal on the apartment's price, and it was all hers. Even though she didn't have a car, she had her own parking space in the garage, they'd said. She moved all her stuff, what little she had, into the living room, not even enough to line the floor of any room except the bathroom.

After she'd hung Justin's housewarming gift of angel wings on the wall, Kate poured a glass of wine, opened her French doors, and stepped out onto her small but glorious terrace.

Kate took in the view for not even a second before she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey."

She turned her head slowly in shock before she saw him. He wasn't recognizeable at first in a grey shirt the color of her French doors. unbuttoned two buttons, no tie, no suit jacket. Just dark blue jeans, nice and tight.

"Neighbor."

The fullness of who it was and what it meant sunk in as her mouth opened wide in shock.

"B-b-b-ben!" She finally managed. "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?"

"Justin here?"

"Wait. What?" Kate tried to process that question on top of all the other ones that writhed around in her head like snakes. Like she'd just turned to Medusa from the inside out. "No, and he's not coming here, either. This is _my_ place."

"Congratulations," Ben said.

"I bought the place 'your guy,'" she gestured with air quotes, "had for sale. Surely you knew it was next door."

"I did."

"And you thought giving me a heart attack was better than, oh, I don't know, warning me?"

"May I come over?"

"What? No!"

"Would you come over to my place then? I have dinner on if you'd like some."

She was about to refuse when her stomach growled loudly enough that he smiled. "I heard that." Defeated, she accepted his offer, if only out of curiosity.

Kate knocked on Ben's door.

"Well, hello there," he said, opening the door wide for her to enter. She looked into his eyes, then caught herself looking at his unbuttoned shirt, where a couple of curls of chest hair peeked out, taunting her.

She stepped inside. Massive amounts of art hung on the walls. A pearlescent white leather sofa and armchair sat on top of a deep purple shag rug. Italian modern chandeliers hung over the coffee table and dining table, the latter made of some drop-dead gorgeous stripy wood she couldn't name offhand, set for two. The kitchen was well-stocked with hanging pots, mostly copper.

The focal point of the entire place, though, was the denim blue Venetian plaster walls with speckles of gold and silver. It was breathtaking. Silk dupioni draperies matching the wall framed the windows.

"Wow. This is really nice."

"I-"

"-like nice things," they said at the same time. He smiled.

His proximity was doing something to her brain, and the smells from the kitchen were doing something to her stomach.

"There's a bathroom around the corner," he said, and she went to look. It was covered in a pale pink marble with inset purple glass tiles every now and again, with a relatively small shower in the back of the room. She'd noticed that he liked purple a lot. He often wore purple ties and even occasionally pale purple-toned shirts, and he also wore pink more than the average straight San Francisco male.

She nodded, impressed. It was more understated than she expected, with no flashy gold sink. The room felt like it belonged in the house.

"And the rest?" Kate prodded. He led her into his fairly small home office, which had nice built-ins and a small desk, but it was a small room.

Last, he opened the door to his bedroom and let her walk in.

Kate wasn't aware she had expectations about Ben's bedroom until she realized that it wasn't at all what she expected. The rear wall was white like he'd just moved in, the furniture masculine and dark brown, and a taupe-and-white geometric comforter covered the bed. That much didn't surprise her.

Stepping in was the surprising part. The wall facing the living room was also Venetian plaster in a rich violet, the backdrop for three large pieces of tasteful erotic art: curves and lines of a male and female body joined, no naughty bits exposed, just comfort, love, and skin-against-skin nudity. Three very different artists, but similar sensibilities.

The bathroom was a larger version of the powder room, decor-wise, complete with an oversize vintage tub and a separate shower.

"How did you get a bathroom this large?"

He shrugged. "It had three bedrooms and two small full bathrooms. I transformed it into a larger bedroom, a smaller office, and one large full bathroom. I made the kitchen slightly smaller so I could have a shower in what used to be the powder room, too."

"It's very you," she said, "but more understated than I expected." Well, except maybe for the Venetian plaster walls, but she liked those. "What is it you're cooking? It smells divine." Anything to get out of his bedroom.

"Beef bourguignon, potatoes au gratin, and some fresh organic vegetables from the farmer's market," he said. "Plus your choice of wine. Ready for dinner?"

Kate walked calmly out of Ben's bedroom into the dining room, but noticed that he didn't close the door like it had been before. "I trust you on the wine."

Ben pulled her chair out for her, seated her, unfolded her linen napkin and draped it across her lap, then went to plate the dinner for the both of them, bringing Kate her dinner first, then his own, each with an accompanying glass of wine. She didn't start eating until he sat down and they toasted. "To neighbors."

After her stomach was full enough that she could think again, she broached the subject.

"Why, Ben?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you rig things so that I'd be your neighbor? Me, of all people."

"Well, first of all, I didn't know you'd buy it. I didn't know you'd buy it without Justin, though I'd certainly hoped that would be the case. On the rest, you really don't know?"

"Know what?"

He took her hands in his own, soft and warm. "Remember Tahoe?"

"I froze," she said guiltily. Then she'd knocked on his door. He'd answered, dressed only in robe and boxers, and she hadn't said anything. She'd just taken his hand, brought him to the living room, fire crackling in the background, pushed him down onto one part of the sofa set, put a blanket over him, then curled up with him as her pillow, lying perpendicularly on the other part of the L-shaped sofa. Then she'd pulled a blanket onto herself and let him run his fingers through her hair until she fell asleep. That was the last good sleep she'd gotten, and that was weeks ago.

"And then you didn't. That's not what I meant, though. What do you think I meant by what I said?"

"That you care about me."

"That I _love_ you, Katie."

Part of her had known that, but until this very moment, part of her had been refusing to believe it.

He continued, "I keep falling for you, and I don't know where it ends. I've always felt a sense of boundaries before, and now I don't."

She felt profoundly uncomfortable, not because of what he'd said, but because of what she'd done. "I lied to Justin when I broke up with him. He accused me of running away. I said I wasn't, I was running toward something. He said it was someone, and he was right, too. But I told him he wasn't. Truth is, I've been running away from him ever since I met him, I just didn't have perspective to understand that. Lately, though, I've just wanted to understand _why_ it didn't work so I'd know not to do it again with you."

Ben stood up, blew out the candles, and crossed to her side of the table, holding out his hand. She grabbed it and stood up, catching his intense gaze. He ran a finger along her jaw, encouraging her to look up at him.

He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers, and she teased his lips back. He placed his arms at her waist, holding her with the gentlest pressure. She ran her arms up his, resting her hands on his shoulders, feeling the muscles underneath his shirt and sighing softly. He wasn't as ripped as Justin was, but Justin was built too much like a cylon. Ben's muscles felt more real, with a tidge of softness. "Such nice shoulders," she said, then kissed his lips with more pressure than the gentle teasing he'd been offering her.

"Do what with me?" He teased, catching his breath before kissing her more.

"Huh?" was all she was able to manage, answered by his throaty chuckle. She gave up trying to use her brain and surrendered to his lips, which opened to hers, his tongue tracing the contours of her lips.

Fire spread through her as their tongues explored each other's for minutes on end, her hands running through his hair and his roaming down to her hips, pulling her closer. She lifted her left leg and wrapped it around his hip. Ben lifted her, and she wrapped the other leg around him, moaning with pleasure. Ben rocked her gently as they continued kissing.

She was so warm that she was beginning to sweat, so she broke away momentarily to peel her purple sweatshirt off, leaving only the tank beneath. She threw the sweatshirt at the sofa, but didn't bother to see where it landed. She started to wrap her arms around his neck again, then impishly unbuttoned his shirt, massaging his chest with one hand as she hung on with the other around his neck, kissing him all the while.

Ben started walking toward away from the dining room table, and Kate felt a knot form in her stomach. He pushed a button to light the fire on the way by, then reached the edge of the sofa and turned. She unhooked her legs, allowing him to sit down. He put a pillow behind his back, positioned her so her legs straddled his own, then pulled her into his slightly reclining body.

"Comfortable?" he asked.

"Mmmm," she said, leaning back in to continue their kiss.

Some time later, she pulled back.

"Ben?"

"Mmmm?"

"How long have we been kissing?"

He did a double-take, raising an eyebrow in surprise, staring at her the way he did sometimes. "No idea. Not long enough?"

"Point," she said, pulling her hair down. She wasn't tired, she didn't have any place else she needed to be, might as well enjoy herself. She rearranged herself sitting across Ben's lap rather than straddling it, getting support from the sofa back.

"Hmm," she said, then reached over to pull her shoes off. "Not quite enough support for my back." She slid toward the center of the sofa, lying along the sofa's back, beckoning him with a finger. Ben pulled his shoes off, showing off more of his mostly-bare chest, and scooted alongside her.

"Comfy now?"

"Mmmhmm." She buried her face in his chest, and he sighed happily, arms wrapped gently around her.

#

Much later, Ben woke up, still holding Kate in his arms. He looked at his watch: almost midnight.

"Katie?" He said gently.

"Mmmr?"

"It's almost midnight. I'm sorry, we both fell asleep." Despite his apology, he was smiling.

She chuckled. "So much for a big date night, huh?"

"I was comfortable and happy. Were you?"

"Yes."

"Then that's all that matters. You can sleep here on the couch if you like, or I can sleep on the couch and you could take my bed."

"Or I could go home and sleep in my own place. First night and all."

His smile fell just a bit, but he knew it was the right thing for her to do. "Of course." He helped gather her things and escorted her to her door, making sure she had her keys.

She entered her place and turned around without turning on a light. "Thanks for tonight. You're a great cook."

"Any time," he said, then clarified. "And I really do mean any time." He stroked her cheek, then kissed her lips gently. Before he was tempted to do anything further, he headed back to his place.

#

Kate closed the door on Ben, then leaned on it so she wouldn't be tempted to do anything stupid. She'd not had any plans for the night other than unpacking and scrounging for dinner, but Kate hadn't intended the evening to go the way it did. Her plans had included no Ben whatsoever - and then they did.

So typical with Ben.

In the almost year he'd been at the firm, they truly had begun to rely on each other for cases, and she'd been relying on him in other ways, apart from the complications of Justin, who was no longer a complication.

Kate gathered her bedding onto the hard floor, lit the fire, and tried to fall asleep, but all she could think about was tbe man on the other side of the wall. Why did he have to be so close?

After the thirty-fifth time she'd tossed and turned, Katie finally got some much-needed sleep.

#

After he'd gotten ready the next morning, he called Kate. "Good morning sunshine!"

"Enough with the cheerfulness at this hour," she said.

"I'll be over in ten. Want coffee? Breakfast?"

"Yes and yes. See you then."

Ten minutes later, he knocked on her door, two cups of coffee in one hand and a plate in the other.

She opened the door, towel still wrapped around her hair, all dressed in a purple v-neck satin blouse and black slacks.

"Oh, you angel," she said, taking her coffee.

Ben chuckled.

"What?"

"I have been called many things, Katie, but angel isn't generally one of them." He looked around for a place to put her breakfast plate, then settled on the kitchen counter.

"Love the minimalist furnishings," he said.

"Shut it. Justin got the furniture in our divorce, then I had the boat with built-ins, then I was living at Lauren's."

"Where did you sleep last night?" he asked, peering into her bedroom and seeing no bed.

She gestured to the bedding on the living room floor near the fireplace.

"Katie, if you wanted to sleep on a hard surface, I could have made you a far better offer."

Kate rolled her eyes at him.


	2. Chapter 2

Kate and Ben stepped out of the elevator in their building's garage, and Ben pointed out the location of his car - as if it weren't obvious from the huge "GROGAN" painted on the wall. "So have you thought about what kind of bed you want?" Ben asked as they got into his car.

"We're not having this conversation," she said.

"Big? Small? Platform? Soft? Hard?" He paused to look at her.

When she didn't answer, he continued, "Water? Air? Earth? Fire?"

She glared at him.

"When's your first meeting?"

"I don't have one this morning that I know of."

Ben shook his head and punched Leo's number.

"Good morning, Ben," Leo answered.

"When's Kate's first meeting today?"

"After lunch, why?"

"Kate's with me, we'll be in around ten. Cover for us, okay?"

"I put court papers on your desk, but nothing urgent."

"Thanks, buddy."

Kate put a hand on Ben's arm. "Where are we going?"

He smiled and looked at her. "Your very favorite activity in the whole world," he said sexily.

"In a car? With you?"

Ben laughed. "So _that's_ what your favorite activity is. Good to know." He added in a whisper, "Especially now that you're not seeing Justin."

"Shut it," she said huffily. He looked at her, and she looked genuinely hurt.

"I'm sorry, I was trying to be sexy-teasing-Ben, not jackass-Ben."

Kate shrugged and looked out the window, so Ben started the car and drove to a small standalone store. Kate had nodded off to sleep, so Ben parked and turned off the car.

"Hey, sleepyhead." Kate didn't wake immediately, so he combed his fingers through her hair gently.

"Huh, where are we?"

"Store."

She looked at the name of the place. "I thought I said we weren't having this conversation?"

"Were we conversing?" Ben asked, slightly annoyed.

"Ugh."

He got out and opened the door for her, and she walked into the store with him. He immediately jumped on one of the beds and curled up cutely, smiling at her, patting the empty space next to him.

She rolled her eyes and pretended to stare at another bed's info tag. He stood behind her, brushed her hair off her neck, and whispered in her ear, "That one has some nice," he moved his hands down her sides seductively, "features."

Kate turned and glared at him. "Oh, Benedict," she said sweetly in what he thought of as her carbomb-y voice.

"Yes?" he asked, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow. She one-handedly opened nearly every button on his shirt in two seconds flat, then massaged his chest with the palm of her hand. He stood there, paralyzed, expression frozen in place.

"Shut it," she said, spinning him around and pushing him back on the bed so hard the air left his lungs in an audible whoosh. Meanwhile, she sashayed to the next bed to look at it.

Ben gulped air and recovered quickly, bouncing onto the bed Kate was looking at. "You should try this one," he said, lacing his fingers behind his head. "We're not leaving until you try some out, just so you know."

She sat on the bed, bounced a couple of times, then curled up next to him. "Do you like this one, Benny?"

"I-," he paused, momentarily distracted by her actions as she toyed with his chest hair, "I could get used to it."

"Pick two others for me to try so we can get out of here, then." She touched her fingertip to his nose, then brushed his lips.

He bounded up and landed on his feet, then picked the two best beds in the place, neither of which they'd looked at yet. "Katie dear," he called cutely.

"Yes, Benedict darling?"

"These two." He presented them with a flourish that made her smile.

"Fine," she said, lying on the first one, only to find Ben lying next to her on his side, smiling at her.

"Hi," he said. "Comfortable?"

"Benedict," she pleaded softly.

He leaned slightly toward her and caressed her face. "Look, Katie, it's a big decision. It affects your ability to sleep, and thus think, and make love in your own bed for years. It's critical for happiness."

Kate sighed. "Why does it matter to you?"

"You're my partner, Katie."

"You're not here as my partner."

"I mean your _partner_."

"Oh," she said in a whisper. "So I can just," she traced her finger along his bare chest slowly, "do this any time I want to?"

He moaned slightly. "You can and you may. Especially on your bed." His face moved closer to hers, her fingers tracing the boundaries of his chest muscles.

"Then maybe I should buy one, huh?"

"Maybe you should."

"This one or the other one?"

Ben grinned. "Let's go see, Katie."

"Ohhhh," she whined, clearly not wanting to move.

"It's an adventure, Katie. C'mon."

They walked to the other bed and Ben jumped on before Kate sat down.

"You were closer before," she said, moving toward him.

"You were playing with my chest," he said, moving her hand where it had been.

After a minute of staring at each other, Kate said, "I think I like the other one better."

They stood at the checkout counter, and Katie paid while Ben talked to the person scheduling deliveries. "When would you like delivery?" the middle-aged man said.

Ben turned slightly away from Kate, gestured wide with his hands, and winked.

"Hmm, normally we serve this zip code on Friday, which is tomorrow, but we're all booked up." The man winked back. "How's Tuesday? I might be able to fit you in then. I'll have to call, though."

"Tuesday's great." He gave a thumbs up to the clerk and winked. Funny, he didn't have to call after all.

"Oh look, it's only nine-twenty, we still have time," Ben said.

"What now?"

He looked at her wrinkled brow. "First order of business is obviously coffee. Then we need to get you pillows. And bedding."

"Now?" She sighed, then looked out the window.

"I was thinking you might want something calm and relaxing to do over the weekend, and I'm guessing pillow and bedding shopping isn't what you had in mind."

"You got that right."

"So let's be virtuous and get it done now."

She waved her hand in resignation, surprised that he was driving to the south.

"Where are we going?"

"SoMa."

"For?"

"Trust me, Katie. So, for bedding, do you want cotton, or do you want actual linen or, perhaps, silk?"

"Don't tell me - let me guess. You have silk."

"I like silk. I like silk everywhere. If judges didn't think silk shirts and suits were too pretentious, that's all you'd see me in. I do have two sets of cotton sheets, though. Strictly for emergencies. The only tactile sensation I like better than silk is a woman's skin."

"So you wear silk ties and pocket squares."

He smirked. "Well, that's all you've seen."

She snorted and covered her face with her hand. "I did not need that image right now."

"Today's are a medium blue paisley that clashes badly with my tie."

She started laughing. "Nooooooo."

"I could arrange a private viewing," he said with his cheesiest smile and a flirty wiggle of his brow.

"Benedict Yancy!" Kate blushed.

"Yeeeessss?"

She shook her head and laughed, not able to form any words. He kept driving. And grinning.

#

When they arrived in the pillow and bedding store he'd chosen, he made her try several pillows, but she agreed that she preferred the ones he picked over the other choices.

Then the awkward issue of sheets came up. She fell in love with a sheet set that was somewhere between celery and mint green, so she added those to her shopping basket.

Ben came over with a sheet set and said, "Trust me."

Kate looked at them and said, "I don't like the color."

"Katie, be practical."

"Plus they're _cotton_, so why are you recommending them anyway?"

"Buy them and ask me when we get in the car."

She shoved them back toward him, but he didn't take them into his hands, so they rested awkwardly against his chest. "No."

His jaw clenched, and then he opened his mouth and whispered. "You'll thank me in six days." He paused for a moment to think. "Maybe seven."

She'd never wanted to slap a man so hard in her life, but she kept her control and said nothing. She just glared at him, took the sheets back, and remained silent until they'd checked out and were in the car, Ben's recommendation and her other purchases tucked in his trunk.

He didn't immediately start the car, just waited patiently for her to yell, which only made her more pissed off. At least he was trying to look serious and not giving her a stupid grin.

"Benedict Yancy Grogan, what the fuck?"

"You know, when my mother gets really mad at me, she calls me Benjamin. She lost the naming war. That is, if my full name isn't enough for your purposes."

"What was that about?"

He sighed. "I like nice things. I like nice things to stay nice. I'm sure you do, too, because I know you like nice things, especially clothes and shoes." He studied her face, which was red with anger and embarrassment. "Fine. Menstruation's a reality. It's not particularly kind to sheets, especially silk ones. It's harder to wash stains out of silk. Why not have a dark red cotton set? That way, there's no hassle if you get blood on them. Just wash and dry, right?"

"That's not what I meant. I figured out your point about the sheets. What I want to know is why you said six or seven days."

"Was I wrong?"

"No, and that's what pisses me off the most."

"Maybe I've paid more attention to your nuances than you think."

They drove in silence back to the office, Kate deliberately staring out the window. She hated to admit to herself that he was trying to be thoughtful and practical about a difficult subject, especially with someone he hadn't been sleeping with. As with everything else Ben Grogan, difficult subjects often led to complete and total frustration, like the conversation about animal magnetism in the prison.

It wasn't the long, drawn-out talks Justin always wanted from her, with - even worse - the long drawn-out setups, but rather something short, well-considered and over quickly, like ripping off a band-aid. And then it was done and never repeated. But Ben never backed away from difficult. It was, unfortunately, half his charm, not to mention two-thirds of Reed, Reed, and Grogan's profit last quarter.

As they started to pull into the office, she asked, "Am I that transparent?"

Ben pulled into his parking spot, then looked at her. "No."

She frowned.

"You really want to know how I knew?"

"Kinda."

"My former fiancée had horrible cramps, so I would bring her a hot water bottle when it was bad. Last month, on a day when you'd snapped at me first thing, I saw you with a pained look on your face. I'd been conflicted about going to ask if I could help given our earlier encounter, but then I saw Lauren go into your office with a hot water bottle. It was pretty easy to figure out why."

"Was that when I said I mostly hated you?"

"No, that happened one month earlier."

"Ben?"

"Mmm?"

"About the sheets? You meant well." She combed her fingers through his hair, ruffling it affectionately.

"I did," he said. "We should get to the office, Katie."

#

Kate arrived at her office a mere three minutes after ten with a mild headache and, given Ben's guidance and taste, a huge dent in her credit limit.

Leo handed Kate her coffee, looked between Kate and Ben and waited for either of them to say something, but Kate just smiled and walked into her office.

"So," he said to Ben. "How's her place?"

"Underfurnished."

"That's so Kate. She doesn't own any furniture."

"She does now. She bought a bed."

Leo looked impressed. "Nicely done. It took Justin a year to get her to shop for a couch and another year to decide on one. Just a warning to you."

"That'll happen this weekend."

"Really." Leo drew out the word three times its normal length.

"It'll happen by Sunday at noon or I will resort to cruel and unusual methods."

"Hundred bucks says she doesn't have living room furniture picked out and paid for by Monday."

"You're on. I'll bet she'll have a sofa, chair, coffee table, and end table at least. Fair?"

"Deal."

"Do I still get your help on what she likes?"

"Oh sure. I don't think that'll help you too much." Leo emailed Ben a Pinterest link with all kinds of things Kate had said she liked over the last year, including furniture.

They shook on it. Leo's certainty shook Ben. He was going to have to streamline his plan, clearly.

#

After he closed the door to his bedroom, Kate crawled under the covers on Ben's sofa, adjusting her turquoise silk nightgown so she'd be comfortable. She hadn't wanted to sleep here tonight, but the truth was she hadn't slept well on the floor of her own place last night. In fact, she hadn't slept well since Lake Tahoe. Every morning she'd woken up with Justin since then, she woke in tears.

She'd known things were wrong, but she hadn't been able to quite put her finger on what wasn't working between her and Justin - other than his insistence they were a couple and she wanted to keep her options open with Ben. Not that that was working out. "Don't play me for a fool," Ben had said, and she really had been.

Kate rolled over; the leather on the sofa had a slight scent of sandalwood and lime, just like Ben typically did. Great. She rolled back over, but then all she could think of was Ben sitting on his sofa, wearing practically nothing - or absolutely nothing - reading a book or a case file.

The rain helped quiet her mind, and finally she nodded off, only to be awakened suddenly by the sound of thunder. One window rattled in the storm. She couldn't believe Ben hadn't gotten that fixed yet. He was that kind of guy, even though he said he wasn't. Things got repaired. Things got done. Why was this window rattling?

Another thunderclap startled her, then another. She moaned. She'd always been afraid of thunder. As a kid, she'd slept between her parents. Then she'd slept with Justin, but obviously that wasn't happening any more.

Kate stood up and paced until the next thunderclap, but there really was only one solution if she wanted any chance of sleeping tonight. She opened the door to Ben's room. There he was, lying in the middle of the bed, covers not quite pulled up over his chest, fast asleep. Unfortunately, Kate was shaking from fear and couldn't appreciate the view of his chest as much as she had on two prior occasions.

She got carefully into bed, trying not to wake him. As she slid into the silk sheets, she was amazed at the lovely texture. Figures.

She watched him sleep for a minute, then rested her head on a pillow he wasn't using.

#

Ben woke when Kate's head hit the pillow next to him. She was shaking like mad. The next clap of thunder struck and she jumped. So that's what this was about. She needed a human, but she wasn't coming onto him.

"It's okay, Katie," he whispered. "I'll keep you safe." He wrapped his arms around her protectively, holding her tightly. She relaxed slowly, then sighed happily, settling in with her face buried appreciatively in his chest hair. By the time the thunder rattled the windows again, Kate was fast asleep.

Ben kissed her shoulder before he too fell asleep.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Ben woke to Katie pressing her lips gently upon his, his arms still around her waist. He opened his lips to hers, surrendering to her firmness and gentleness, then leaning into reciprocate. He ran his fingers through her hair, and pulled her closer to deepen the kiss. She moaned with pleasure at the shift, and freed one hand to run her fingers through his hair, every motion sending jolts of pleasure through his body.

He considered taking things further, but didn't want to scare her off, so he kissed her for several minutes. When the temptation started to become too great, he pulled out of the kiss.

"Oh, Katie," he sighed.

She pulled back and stroked his face. "Mmm, Benedict."

"Let's go back to sleep, tiger. I'll still be here for you in the morning."

She put her arm around him, sighed happily, and fell back asleep.

The next morning, he woke almost in the same position, but Kate had turned onto her back, one arm still wrapped around him, the other flung off the side of the bed. One bare leg was wrapped between his. His left arm was still under her back, his right reaching for her but not quite touching her. Kate's hair covered the entirety of one king-sized pillow. She was so beautiful when she slept. He stared at her for a full minute, but he needed to get up, and that was a potential problem.

He moved slowly and carefully, pulling away from her so as not to wake her, then sighed, stood up, and walked naked to the bathroom without looking back. Ben turned on the shower, then closed the door most of the way. Just open enough to be an invitation were she inclined to join him, but not so open that he'd make it easy to gawk.


	3. Chapter 3 - Workmanship

Kate opened her eyes. It took a moment to realize where she was and how she got there, but the sight of a naked Ben walking away from the bed woke her up in a hurry. In fact, it woke up parts of her that had not been appreciated in ages, if ever.

She continued to watch him, getting a brief frontal flash as he moved toward the shower.

Oh. My.

He'd been in swim trunks in the hot tub in Tahoe, of course, but she'd just been utterly incapable of spending time admiring him given the context. When he'd gotten out of the hot tub, she couldn't even look at him. So she'd never seen his great legs, and she sure hadn't seen that fabulous ass.

What to do? The open bathroom door was clearly intentional, and she didn't trust herself to flee to the living room with a temptation like that. No, better to pretend to be asleep until Ben was more safely dressed. So long as her heart would stop pounding, she'd be fine.

A few minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom and walked through the bedroom back out into the living room. A quick peek told Kate that he was safely in his kimono. She waited until she heard the sounds of coffee, then proceeded to stretch before walking into the living room to join him.

"Good morning!" he said, a big smile on his lips. He stood next to the kitchen bar and handed her a filled coffee mug.

"Good morning." She tried not to sound as chipper as he did. She took a seat at the kitchen counter.

"Did you sleep well?" he teased.

"Eventually," she admitted. "The storm scared me. I never have liked thunderstorms."

"And...?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I kissed some hot guy," she said as a flirty admission.

"Anyone I know?"

"You let strange men in your bed?"

"This was in my bed, was it?" He leaned over to kiss her. "Seem at all familiar?"

"Oh, it was you!" Kate said in mock surprise, putting her coffee down on the counter.

"Glad we figured that out," he said, smiling. "Quiche or fried over easy?"

"Since you offered, quiche. Thanks for remembering how I like my eggs."

"You're welcome," Ben said, turning to fetch eggs and cream out of the fridge.

The way he stood was just like he'd been standing when he opened the bathroom door, and she couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"What's the smile for?" he asked, putting ingredients on the counter, facing her, head tilted.

She waved her hand. "Oh, nothing." She blushed. Everything. She liked to look, it was true, but in this case, how she felt about Ben and his proximity made it difficult. She loved it when he held her all night last night. She could do with a lot more of that, oh yes she could.

#

Ben tried to concentrate on prepping the quiche. Fortunately, he'd already cooked the crust, so it was pretty simple. He'd done it plenty of times in his sleep, but not with a distraction as powerful as Katie.

He continued to smile as he prepared the food, looking up at her occasionally, her blush slowly intensifying. By the time the quiche went into the oven, her face was completely red.

"Got more coffee?" she asked after he'd set the timer.

"Yes," he said, crossing to her side of the counter to get her cup. "But there is a price." He cupped her chin in his hand. "Tell me what's going on." Her face was burning up. Was she sick?

She swallowed. "I," she tried to look down, but the angle made it impossible. "I saw you get out of bed this morning."

"Is that why you're bright red?"

She nodded.

"So you were checking me out," he said, teasing her.

"Shut up," she said, starting to laugh.

"Don't be embarrassed, Katie." He stroked her cheek with his right hand. "Though I do love that blush." He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Did you like what you saw?"

"Well enough," she teased.

"Well enough for what?" he teased back. Which was, of course, the exact moment when his nether regions reminded him that he was only wearing a thin kimono and he was at significant risk of exposure at any moment. He shifted awkwardly.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing's wrong," he replied. "I'm just male."

She giggled. "Oh. I hadn't noticed," she said, looking down, touching the sash of his kimono like she was considering removing it.

Ben rolled his eyes. It wasn't the first time she'd checked him out, not by a long shot, but this time was different. "Much as I'd love to continue this, we do need to get to the office today."

#

Kate sighed. "I guess I'd better take a shower, then." She headed to his bathroom.

Despite the fact that she's showered alone for most of her marriage with Justin, it suddenly felt strange to, especially in a shower with so many water-blasting opportunities. It was difficult to figure out which of the ten - no exaggeration - dials controlled what.

"Katie?" Ben asked just outside the door.

"What?"

"Do you want me to show you the controls what or are you okay in there?"

There was just no way he was going to come in, because if she did, Kate knew she'd ask him to join her. Part of her was secretly thrilled at the thought, and part of her was terrified.

"No, I'm fine," she lied.

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything." She couldn't tell if he was just being helpful or if there was a slight edge of teasing in there.

She randomly picked a knob and got the water the right temperature, then turned on everything but the rain shower head. There was a built-in teak bench that folded up, so she folded it down so she could just sit and relax in the shower. Looking at the shelf of liquid soaps he had, she found the three shower gels. One smelled spicy, like she'd gotten lost in a spice souk in the middle east. One smelled woodsy. The third bottle, unlabeled, was the smell she most associated with Ben: sandalwood and lime with a hint of other spices including cinnamon and cardamom. She put that one back. The last thing she needed right now was to smell like him the entire day. She picked up the first and used that to lather herself.

After the shower, she grabbed a towel off the towel bar and reveled in the heated towel, one of her favorite features of high end hotels. She hated to admit that she could get used to this, even though his toilet - a Japanese washlet with way too many controls - still scared the heck out of her. Nothing quite like being surprised with a spray of warm water in the nether regions at three in the morning.

At that moment, Kate realized she'd forgotten to bring her change of clothes with her into the bathroom. Sure, she had her nightgown, but she was all fresh and clean and it wasn't. She picked it and her kimono up off the towel rack and headed into the living room wrapped only in the towel, surprised to find Ben already dressed for work save for his suit jacket hanging in the hallway along with his tie.

#

Ben heard Katie come into the living room and turned to face her, surprised to see her only in a towel. His towel. His jaw dropped. Over the years, he'd seen many women wearing only his towels, but this, this was entirely different.

"Ben?" she asked.

"Uh-huh?" he barely managed, mouth still open, jaw refusing to work.

"You have an amazing bathroom with a very scary toilet."

He recovered his composure enough to close his mouth and smile. "Your squeal in the middle of the night did wake me up," he admitted. "Sorry I forgot to warn you." He wasn't going to admit to getting a good laugh out of it.

She grabbed her clothes and disappeared into his room, shutting the door.

Ben tried not to think of her being nude in his bedroom and failed utterly.

He busied himself with breakfast preparation and setting the table: china, linen napkins, his sterling flatware, even lit the candles. He poured the remaining coffee into his favorite silver coffeepot and put that on the table, too.

Kate emerged from his bedroom in black slacks and a green blouse, hair all brushed into shape.

"Wow, this is quite the fancy breakfast," she said.

"I like nice things. What's the point of having them if you don't use them all the time?"

"Not like my mother's mother who used to put everything away 'for good' and no event was ever good enough."

"Exactly. My mom used to do that, too. I finally talked her out of it."

They ate breakfast and Ben cleaned up quickly.

#

Leo said, "You're not going to like your ten o'clock."

"Ugh. It's a divorce case that's gone sour, and I'm doing this as a favor to Nicastro's friend in family court." Probably half of Kate's work of late had been divorce cases, which just made her feel like she was getting divorced over and over and over again. On the other hand, it brought in the billable hours and the mediations were usually short. This one, though, this one had the possibility of dragging on for a couple of weeks.

She spent half an hour reviewing the file, which she'd read earlier in the week. Ugh. So much of it was about money and pain.

Kate went into the appointment with her fourth cup of coffee for the day. Usually she cut it off at three cups, but she needed the emotional support of the cup full of her favorite beverage.

Megan had given up what she felt was her career for Brad, and spoke passionately about the hopes and dreams she felt she'd given up for him. Kate felt moved by her articulate candor.

Brad felt that Megan was complaining and it was a sudden change. He accused her of being scared to move forward with their lives.

"You know what?" Kate said to Brad. "I heard that same line from my ex-husband. You know what else? He was wrong."

She was suddenly so angry she needed a few minutes. Looking at her phone, they'd been in there almost an hour. "Let's take a fifteen minute break, and then go to twelve-thirty if we need that long, okay?"

Everyone agreed, and Kate tried not to bolt out the door too obviously. Leo was away from his desk, so she reached in and got a key with a purple tag out of his top drawer, then headed to Ben's office. "Got a few minutes? I'm having a bad day, I have a headache, and I need the company."

Ben dropped his pen onto the desk and followed her into the supply cabinet, picking up a small packet of tissues as they strolled by. She turned at the end to a door he'd never seen open, then unlocked it.

"You have the roof. As a teen, this is where I would sometimes spend hours. Lock the door behind you." He did so, tilting his head, wondering what she was up to. Finally, her sudden mystery disappearances when he'd tried to find her made sense. She'd been surreptitiously coming here a lot during the latter days before breaking up with Justin.

The space, a hair over four feet wide and about ten feet long, consisted of bare walls, a carpeted floor, and an overhead light. Due to its location behind the elevator, it was far from the quietest place.

"I started the day on the wrong foot, and it's just gotten more and more wrong," she cried. Ben opened the package of tissues and pulled one out for her.

"How'd you start out on the wrong foot?"

"I didn't take you up on your invitation. Twice. I don't know why I didn't, and that bothers me."

"Fear?"

"Partly, but it's not like I've never done anything I was afraid to. I almost called it off with Justin, and we'd only known each other six weeks when we got married."

"What did you think would happen this morning if you took me up on the shower invitation?"

"I thought we'd have amazingly hot soapy, wet sex."

Ben smiled. "That sounds like fun." He leaned in for a kiss, and she responded greedily, pulling him into her. "So why'd you call me in here?"

"Uh, I, uh-"

"Be brave, Katie, tell me what you want."

"I wanted you to take me."

"I very much want to, but not when you're upset. I wanted it to be nice and romantic and sexy. Not to mention in a space with more character than this one."

She frowned, then said, "I know, I know. You asked me what I wanted."

"You're wound up right now, though. I'll tell you what. You take something for the headache, go back in with the client, then we can take a nice long lunch and I'll make you feel better."

"Feel better how?"

"Just trust me, Katie. I'll take care of you. I promise."

"Okay," she said, biting her lip.

#

After ten minutes with Ben, she felt ready to take on difficult divorces again, and the spring in her step had partly returned. She had no idea what she'd just agreed to. If nothing else, there would be lunch. She hoped.

Kate made real progress in the divorce, getting concessions on three of the many sticking points.

They broke for lunch five minutes early, and Kate slipped into Ben's office. He beamed when he saw her, looking way too excited for lunch. She gulped.

"You look better."

"I feel better, thank you."

"Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's go then." He guided her to his car with his hand at the small of her back. She could swear he was giddy, but he was trying hard not to appear overly eager.

"Benedict?" A crease formed in her brow. "Where are we going?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Mostly," she admitted.

"I know it's hard for you, but just trust me." He rested his right hand on her thigh for a moment.

Two blocks away, she knew where they were going. Their building. More specifically, his place. She gulped nervously, but didn't say anything.

When they arrived, he asked, "Hungry, or can we have lunch after your surprise?"

"I'm too nervous to eat."

"Aww, Katie, don't be nervous," he said, hanging up his coat and suit jacket in the hall closet, then removing his tie.

He closed the distance between them, then said, "Let me take care of you." He took her in his arms, and began kissing her, starting with her mouth. His lips veered to nibble on her ear, then continued down her neck.

After he started running his finger along her neckline, Kate began to kiss him back in earnest, whispering "Oh, Ben," into his ear. She unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, tracing his neckline with her finger.

Beginning with the cuffs, he slowly unbuttoned her blouse, then slipped it off her arms, draping it over the back of the couch. She finished unbuttoning his shirt and removed it, placing it next to her blouse, then returning her hands to his chest to roam over it.

He unbuckled her belt and unzipped her slacks, removing them quickly. She stepped out of them and her shoes, leaving her standing in just her blush lace bra and panties.

"So beautiful," he said, admiring her perfect form.

She reached for his belt, but he shook his head. "Much as I would like that, the focus is supposed to be on what you need. Don't distract me."

He picked her up and carried her into his bedroom, pulled back the covers, and placed her gently on the bed, kicking his shoes off before lying next to her. His fingers traced the outline of her bra, which he then removed, putting it behind him before tracing lazy circles on her breasts until her nipples hardened.

She instinctively rubbed up against him, feeling his need for her, touching his chest and kissing him wherever she could.

His hand stroked her stomach so slowly she felt her back arch involuntarily. He continued downward, caressing her under her panties, slipping them down bit by bit as she squirmed next to him. Once her panties slid past her neatly-trimmed pubic hair, he tugged gently until they were removed, tossing them behind him.

She tensed when Ben parted her legs, then forced herself to relax as he moved into position between them, slipping a pillow underneath before teasing her with nips and licks of her thighs and her stomach, then circling inward slowly as she writhed and sighed underneath him.

He licked her labia with long, flat strokes, like she was his favorite flavor of ice cream, sliding his fingers inside her, then moved in to lick her clit, figuring out quickly exactly how much pressure she wanted where, and responding to her increasingly enthusiastic movements. She ran her fingers through his hair as she moaned, making him smile as he continued pleasuring her.

#

Despite Ben's obvious skill and enthusiasm, Kate's tension and awkwardness had never gone away. She'd sometimes been too tense to climax receiving oral, but she didn't want to admit that to Ben. Focusing on her prior experiences only made her more tense.

At one moment, Kate felt tenser than ever, then she remembered him saying he would take care of her. Her man, no, her partner, was going to take care of her. She felt the tension roll out of her, and Ben's tongue hit the exact right place at the exact right moment, and she shuddered underneath him.

"Oh, God, Ben!" she yelled, arching her back as the waves of pleasure rolled over her.

She heard a low chuckle, Ben's pride in his work.

"Oh, would you stop gloating already?" She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not done yet," he said, kissing her inner thighs. "So I'm not gloating. Yet."

Dear God, he was going to be absolutely insufferable, wasn't he? Yet, the fact that he did know what he was doing and how to take her where she needed to go was turning her on all over again.

Her second orgasm was so intense that he pinned her legs down with his shoulders after she'd whapped his ear with her thigh. Again, she cried out, which embarrassed her.

He held her for several minutes after, then fetched a washcloth and towel and cleaned both of them up. She dressed herself while he made ham sandwiches for lunch, fetching his shirt when he had their places set.

"Thank you," she said, kissing him.

"You're welcome."

"You know, you're taking me somewhere very nice for dinner."

"Am I?" Ben said in mock surprise.

"You are. You know what else? It'd better be impressively expensive."

"Yes, dear." He smirked.


	4. Chapter 4 - Dreaming

**a/n: A nod to Ryan's appearance in SLiDE, episode 4, which is available on iTunes and Netflix with a rather hot two-men kiss involving Ryan's character. I do not recommend reading this chapter on a train. :)**

When Kate and Ben returned to the office after lunch, Leo greeted Kate with a forced smile. "Ready for round three?"

Kate just smiled radiantly, and Leo tilted his head. "Are you feeling okay? You look entirely too enthusiastic about this mediation."

None of the three of them said anything, and then Leo looked at Ben, who was trying to hide a smile.

"Well, I don't know what you had for lunch," Leo said to Kate, "but whatever it was, have that more often."

She leaned on Leo's desk and said, "I had a ham sandwich."

"That's not all you had," Leo said, pausing for effect. "Obviously."

"Shut it," she said.

Ben snorted.

Ben walked toward his office and said over his shoulder, "He's right, you know."

"Shut it," Kate repeated, smiling, walking toward the conference room.

Leo smiled and crossed his arms. Finally, the tension was beginning to lift. Go, Ben.

A bit later, Leo dropped some copies off on Ben's desk, and Leo asked Ben, "So where'd you two go for lunch?"

Ben waved his hand, but didn't look up. "A nice place next door to Kate's. Why?"

"Just wanted to know where to get a sandwich that makes Kate un-grumpy. Might come in handy some day."

Ben finally looked up at Leo, smiling ever so slightly. "You think it was the sandwich?"

Leo grinned, then went back to his desk. He looked up Kate's new address, which seemed familiar now that he thought about it. He just hadn't paid attention before. Leo then looked up Ben's address, and noticed they now lived on the same floor in the same building. No wonder Ben had wanted Leo to use his guy.

"You clever bastard," Leo said aloud.

"Who, me?" Leo hadn't heard Ben walk up. He was holding a case file.

Leo lifted his mug of tea, looked up at Ben, and said, "Nice place next door to Kate's, huh?"

Ben smiled and shrugged. "Well, it is."

"I bet Kate's reaction was priceless when she found out you were her neighbor."

Ben held his thumb and index fingers close together. "Little bit angry."

"I'm surprised she's speaking to you now."

"I'm a very good cook, so all I had to do was keep the windows on her side open until her stomach growled."

"Nice," Leo said approvingly.

#

Ben drove Kate home again before dinner, suggesting she change into something formal. He changed into a satin-trimmed formal jacket with a jacquard stripe white dress shirt and a black leather tie. Kate, at her place, changed into a shoulderless black lace dress that ended at mid-thigh.

Ben nearly whimpered when he saw her, but caught himself at the last minute. "You look stunning," he said, brushing her cheek with his fingers before helping her with her coat.

They finally went out for dinner, something Ben had been waiting for for ages, but this was different than the time she stood him up, because she was ready. He'd taken part of the intimacy she feared sharing with him.

The maître d' seated them in a small curved banquette where they could sit next to each other in a dimly-lit corner, the table lit only by the three candles. Ben ordered a number of small plates apparently randomly, which were delivered one at a time. He picked a red wine off the list with only a moment's thought, trusting the sommelier's taste.

"What is it?" she asked when he lifted a forkful of the first appetizer to her mouth. Ben shrugged, and there was a moment when he showed awkwardness before his confident self took over. "Try it," he suggested. "They've never let me down."

Her tongue darted out to test the food before she accepted the bite. "Mmm," she said.

Ben ate the next bite, then she picked up her fork, but let him feed her the following bite. From that point forward, they fed each other, one bite at a time - a few bites of food on one plate, a few minutes waiting for the server to bring the next plate during which they had a bit of conversation, then feeding each other slowly, watching each other savor dinner.

He liked the way she pouted at the last bite of any dish; the way she licked her lips unselfconsciously; the way she held the fork for him, her eyebrow raised just a tidge until he opened his mouth; the way she closed her eyes when enjoying a new taste; the casual touches as they'd brush each other's face with their hands; the way the color of the red wine matched her increasingly aroused lips more and more as the evening progessed; the way she relaxed throughout the meal.

Between bites, they talked about places they'd been, about the happier days in Kate's childhood when her mother was still alive, and their awkward moments in law school.

When they'd run out of dishes he'd ordered, Ben asked, "Enough? More?"

"That was a wonderful selection, Ben. I'm full." She beamed at him, and he smiled in return.

#

Kate hadn't been fed dinner in since she was a child. At first, she'd intended to resist Ben's advance with the fork, but found the time they spent feeding each other the highlight of the dinner apart from the food. It wasn't stressful company that required scintillating conversation, just enjoying each other enjoying the food.

She'd watched Ben shift through his familiar moods several times during conversation: from the self-assured to akward, from doubting to confident, from skeptic to believer, from money lover who cared about nothing else to art lover who spared no expense, from homebody to world traveler. The bill was settled without Kate having the slightest idea of how much they'd just spent, except that she was certain it was the most expensive meal of her life. Ben's expression was utterly unreadable when he received the bill. In fact, he didn't look at it at all until he signed, just slipped his black Amex into the folio and handed it back for the waiter to charge him.

He held her hand all the way back to his apartment, dropping it only when necessary to open doors, get into and out of the car, and to open his door.

Kate walked in first and let him help her off with her coat, feeling his breath on her neck as he leaned in for a single kiss where her shoulder met her neck that sent tingles down her body.

By the time she turned around, he'd hung his own coat and unbuttoned his suit jacket, then pushed her gently against the closet door and kissed her so thoroughly that she felt weak in the knees. She wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself as she heard herself moaning softly.

When they broke apart, Kate said, "Ben, you are a very cute and very sexy man, and God knows you know how to use that tongue of yours," the memory made her shudder, "but I'm not sure I'm ready for more than we had this afternoon."

"Did I do something wrong?" Ben pouted.

She ruffled his hair. "You did exactly the right thing." She ran her fingers along his cheek, thinking of the way he'd spread her legs, knowing that's what she both wanted and needed earlier. "And it was very, very, very hot." And Kate desperately wanted a lot more of his tonguemanship, which frightened her at the moment. She found herself shifting from her arousal, which made Ben smile.

He traced her lips with his finger. "My tongue is at your command. But if you don't want me to carry you to bed and make love to you, you'd better go change so I can get to bed soon."

Kate nodded, headed into Ben's bathroom, changed into her nightgown and kimono, then hung her dress in the empty side of his closet.

When she opened his bedroom door, he asked, "Do you want the bed or the couch?"

"Oh, you know me, I love to sleep on your couches."

He brought her pillows and sheets and a blanket, then tucked her in with a kiss on the forehead.

Kate couldn't escape Ben in her dreams, though. She dreamed of the different aspects of Ben: Suave Ben, the successful litigator who pressed every advantage and confidently cut through all the conversational crap like a laser, and Awkward Ben who'd said good night three times after he kissed her for the first time, and who'd looked like a kicked puppy when she'd gone out to dinner hand-in-hand with Justin.

Then, instead of seeing the two Bens swapping places in the office, the scene rippled to a club that looked suspiciously like the bar where they'd first met. She saw Awkward Ben dressed in a silk suit, unbuttoned collar of his white silk shirt glowing in the club's lighting. He was looking for someone, and Kate hoped to hell it was her he sought.

"Ben," Kate said, but he ignored her. Great.

The identically-dressed Suave Ben danced toward him. Awkward, acting on impulse, took Suave's face in his hand and kissed him quickly, backing away slightly, hands still in the air. He couldn't meet Suave's eyes after that moment.

Suave nodded sagely, closed the distance between them, and leaned in slowly, resting his forehead on Awkward's for a moment, then closing in to a gentle kiss, placing Awkward's hands on his shoulders. When Awkward responded in kind, Suave took wrapped his arms around Awkward.

Kate found herself walking toward the two men, completely entranced by the moment. "Ben!" she said, more loudly this time. Both men turned slightly to look at her, though they didn't break their kiss.

Then the crowd moved and pulled her away from the two men. "Ben!" she yelled, afraid of getting lost in the room that kept getting larger.

_He showered, tried to get to sleep, and had almost nodded off when he heard her cry out for him. Twice._

_He ran out of the bedroom, donning his robe before opening the door to the living room. He saw her lying on the couch. Was she okay?_

_Ben kneeled in front of her, gently lifting the hair covering her face, only to find her sound asleep. He smiled at her, and brushed her hair back without disturbing her._

The crowd contracted, and she moved closer to the two men. Suave's right hand brushed Kate's hair back from her face, then he pulled her into the two men. Only then did he break the kiss.

Suave said, "She's yours, Ben. She wants you to claim her," and Suave moved away, hand still on her bare upper back uncovered by her blue bandage dress.

"Don't go," Kate said, urging Suave to stay.

_Having established that she was dreaming, Ben wanted to leave her to her privacy. He started to move away, but Kate's arm darted out to grab him and she demanded, "Don't go." Ben crawled under the covers with her, wrapping one arm around her waist._

"I thought you liked him better," Suave said.

Kate looked between the two men, kissing Awkward first, then Suave, then deepening kisses alternating between the two men, letting the music carry the three of them around the room.

Suave took Awkward's hands and placed them on Kate's hips, then whispered in Kate's ear, "You need to be much closer to him, love. He moved Kate's hands to Awkward's ass, using her hands to massage his muscular cheeks.

_Even though Kate was asleep, Ben loved the feel of Kate's hands massaging his ass, pulling him into her grinding until he was rock hard. He whimpered quietly, hoping she'd wake up soon so he could release himself in his bedroom._

"You like doing that, don't you Katie?" Suave whispered in her ear, closing in behind her.

"Yes," she said in between light kisses on Awkward's lips, feeling the arousal of both men pressing into her, making her incredibly hot.

"Come home with us," Awkward whispered in her ear.

"Yes, come home with us," Suave whispered in Kate's other ear.

"Take me," she whispered. She blinked and the room went quiet, and she was standing in Ben's living room with the amazing wall and couch, still between both Bens.

Awkward unzipped her dress, and Suave helped remove it.

"Which of us do you want?" Awkward asked.

Kate looked between the two men. As much as the confident side irritated her at times, the smooth confidence was a necessary part of who he was. She turned to Awkward, loving the pout, the slight smile, the moments of deep insecurity. She traced his lips with her finger. The doubting and awkward side made him push harder, made him look deeper, gave him the insights to be confident.

"I love you both," she said. "You're essential parts of Ben."

Suave turned her around and kissed her, leaving Awkward gaping. "You want to choose me," he said.

She turned back to Awkward and said, "Take me. Both of you."

The three of them danced, the two men touching Kate everywhere she showed skin - arms, neck, hemline, face, relentless in their touch. Suave kept trying to get her to pick sides, but she remained steadfast, asking both of them to take her.

At the end of the song, both men rippled into a single Ben, and she clung to him.

#

Kate woke up feeling like she was in a trench, only to discover herself on Ben's couch with Ben lying alongside her. "Benedict Yancy, what the hell do you think you're doing there?" Kate asked, pushing at his bare chest.

He put his hand over hers possessively. "You were dreaming of me, and you insisted I stay. Eventually, I got tired of arguing with you."

She covered her face with her other hand. "Oh, no."

"Oh, it's worse Katie," he said, relishing in her embarrassment and her slight blush.

"Nooooo," she said in a small voice, though it was obvious to Ben that she knew exactly what she'd dreamed.

"Evidently, one of me wasn't enough for you."

Her blushing intensified until she was bright red.

"Oh, and it was really hard, pun intended, to get back to sleep with you grinding up against me begging me to take you. Which I did not, for the record."

She pulled the sheet up over her face. "If I could die from embarrassment. . . ."

"Please don't."

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"And miss all the fun?"

She didn't say anything.

"I have a better idea, Katie."

"What?" she asked from under the sheet.

He slipped the sheet slowly down so it no longer covered her face. "Come to bed with the man of your dreams. If you can settle for just one of me, that is."

Ben stood up and held out his hand. After a long pause where Kate studied his eyes, Kate took Ben's hand and followed him into his bedroom via the kitchen, where he opened a drawer and pulled out a box of condoms.

He dropped the box into the nightstand, then stood behind Kate, slipping the silk kimono off her shoulders, leaving the matching spaghetti strap nightgown underneath. He tossed the kimono onto the bed, then whispered into her ear, "Take it off, Katie."

She slowly raised her arms, pulling the spaghetti straps up, slipping the turquoise silk over her head. Ben's hands followed the nightgown hem's progress up her body, stopping to caress her breasts, fondling her nipples into hardened nubs. When the silk hit the floor, he petted her body with his right hand until her back arched against him, then whispered into her ear, "Turn around."

Kate turned around, tugging at the sash holding Ben's kimono closed. The sash fluttered to the floor, the kimono parted, and his erection was there for her to admire. He slowly removed his kimono, tossing it onto the bed.

Kate smiled. "I . . ." she began, leaving the thought incomplete.

"Mmm?" Ben moved closer, his cock brushing up against her abdomen. He closed in. "Kiss me again."

She put her arms around his neck and kissed him gently, opening up her lips as he thrust his tongue lightly into her mouth.

He ran his fingers along her thighs, moving toward her as she parted for him. When she spread her legs far enough, he lifted her and sat both of them down on the bed. His fingers slipped into her folds, finding her warm, but not yet as ready as he wanted her to be. Sliding up to her clit, his fingers massaged her, feeling her begin to moisten, and she moaned.

"More of that," she said, squirming against his hand as she looked into his eyes, truly facing his desire for the first time. The way he looked at her, full of need, made her feel powerful. And wanted.

"I know, Katie," he said. "Tell me what else you need."

She kissed him, rubbing her breasts against his chest, letting his hand work its magic on her clit as his other arm wrapped around her waist. She leaned over, opened the nightstand drawer, and pulled out a condom, slipping it onto Ben's erect cock.

"Don't stop," she said, sitting up enough to position herself over him, teasing herself with his cock against her wet folds. She started to slide down onto him, and Ben's sudden upward thrust pushed his cock most of the way inside her. She settled onto him, completing his penetration. "Ooohhh," she moaned, shivering around him.

Kate rode him slowly, trying to tie her movements to Ben's hands, letting him set the pace, claiming his mouth with her own.

She moaned as she reached that one angle where his cock was as deep inside of her as possible and all the pressure was in the exact right place. She could stay in this moment forever, but she felt herself riding that point with small movements, falling into the deep bliss Ben offered her.

"Like that?"

"Perfect," she whispered as she felt her orgasm building, his fingers still working their magic. Ben thrust harder into her and she moved in perfect counterpoint to him until she felt the warm glow emanating all over her body, pleasure rippling throughout her like the sun was bursting from within. As she peaked, she felt Ben's last thrust explode into her as he came.

He moved his hand from her lap to hold her waist, brushing her hair with his other hand. "So beautiful," he said. "Thank you."

She smiled. "I don't know why I waited this long. If it hadn't been for this afternoon, I probably would have waited longer."

"I know." He kissed her again, small kisses on her face and neck. "I'm glad we didn't wait longer. After your dream, I'd probably have needed an ice pack and a visit to the ER."

She chuckled. "That bad, huh?"

"That hot." He stroked her hair while kissing her lips, not quite ready for a second round yet. Soon.

For several minutes, they stared at each other between short kisses.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said, brushing her hair with his hand.

"Did you just pull a box of condoms out of a kitchen drawer?"

He smiled. "_I_ was a Boy Scout."

Kate threw back her head and laughed. "You were not."

"My mother would be thrilled to show you evidence photos, I'm sure."

"You were a Boy Scout."

"Asked and answered, counselor."

"I bet you know all your knots, too."

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Maybe."


	5. Chapter 5 - Progress

**a/n:** And a short chapter for this one too while I work on other chapters. Reviews are always welcome. They are like food and coffee for authors. :)

**Chapter 5 - Progress**

The next morning, Kate woke with her back arched almost a foot off the bed. Ben sat next to her on the edge of the bed, stroking her body as she moaned. The sight of his nude body stirred even more longing.

Ben looked down at her, smiling. "I didn't know if you wanted sex or coffee first, so I brought both." He gestured to the steaming mug a couple of feet from her on the nightstand.

They'd made love once more last night, long and slow and every moment a delight. Then Ben lit a bunch of candles in the bathroom and they'd taken a luxurious, candlelit soak together in his oversized vintage tub. The warmth of the water and the maleness of Ben were intoxicating as Kate lay on top of him, feeling like she was on display as he caressed her, washed her, and whispered into her ear.

She was surprised to wake up so aroused after being so sated last night.

"Sex?" She finally squeaked between involuntary undulations of her body.

"You are such a tiger the way you respond to being stroked," he said with admiration, leaning over to kiss her. "Sex on one condition."

"What?"

"We need to go shopping after. And we need to buy things."

She laughed. "Okay."

"I'm glad you agree, love." Kate's body continued to betray her arousal, while she wondered what the hell kind of shopping needed that kind of a promise. "Deal?"

"Deal." He didn't say what kind of things had to be bought, after all. She still had veto power.

#

Ben and Kate walked through the showroom looking at furniture for Kate's place.

"Ben, what are we doing?"

"We're shopping, Katie."

"No, that's not what I mean. I mean, what are _we_ doing?"

He stopped to look at her, taking in her concerned expression. He was hoping this conversation would have taken another few months to have, but he realized that pushing the furniture shopping forced the timing of the discussion. Damn that bet with Leo.

Ben guided Kate to a leather loveseat in the rear corner of the store and sat down. She sat facing him on the loveseat. "What do you want to know, Katie?"

"Look. You're a long-term planner. I'm not. You maneuvered the situation where I'd get the place next to you. So I'm asking you: what are your long-term hopes here? Please don't lie to me like you did in Tahoe about what Leo told me. I want the straight, complete truth."

Ben gulped. "You want my hopes."

"Your fondest desire."

"If I'm putting all my cards on the table, so are you."

"Fair enough."

He took her hands in his own. "I hope that someday you'll be my wife." He watched her take a long, even breath, but not say anything. "And the mother to our children, should we choose to have any."

All her breath left in a heavy sigh. "Wow."

He looked down, but didn't say anything. She wasn't ready. He knew that. _It's not a sprint, Leo. It's a marathon._

"Is this what you wanted all along?"

"You made me believe in marriage again in Tahoe. Before that, I'd just fallen in love with you. So, what are your fondest desires?"

Kate scooted over to sit on Ben's lap, kicked off her shoes, and looked into his soft brown eyes. "I'm not done asking questions yet. So what did you see as a timeline for us moving in together?"

Ben shrugged, doubling the numbers in his head. "A year?"

Kate laughed, and Ben frowned at her response. "You've never been Kate Reeded. Obviously."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see," she said, tracing his lips with a finger. "Getting back to your question, I'm not a planner like you are, but we can start with more afternoons and nights like we just had and go from there. But let's just say that marriage and kids aren't off the table, but the table is very large."

"So why ask this now?"

"Would you shop here if you were shopping for your own furniture?"

"It's an okay store, but no."

"So, let me get this straight. You want to eventually move in with me and marry me, and you want me to go furniture shopping for my place for furniture to use at least until we move in together. Right?"

Ben cleared his throat. "Right."

"So why have me buy the place next to you?"

"It used to be one big place," he said.

"So, if we were to keep both places and make it one bigger place," she said, "hypothetically speaking, then it really does matter if you like what I pick, doesn't it? Or at least that you don't hate it?"

"Since you put it that way. . . ."

"And therefore we should go to a place where you'd buy your furniture. Because it's a lot of money to spend on a couch, and you'd like to use it for, oh, twenty years instead of, say, one year. Right?"

Ben looked sheepish, puzzled, and elated, expressions cycling over his face, and sat with his mouth open for several seconds before pulling his phone out of his jeans pocket. He dialed a number and asked, "It's Ben Grogan. Are you available today?"

"We should go home to meet my designer, Katie. She'll take us the right places after she takes a look at your place."

"Okay then." She added as an afterthought, "Though, if I hate what you'd prefer, I'm buying what I want."

"Of course." _You've never been Kate Reeded. Obviously._ He suspected he just had been set, and, at some point, he'd see the spike going in for the kill.


End file.
